My Music Story
My name is Karl Heinz Heimgartner
Born August 28, 1956 in Switzerland and was employed from 1971 until 2019.
I have been enjoying my retirement since 2019 and have a very loving and nice life partner, which is the best one could wish for.
My passion is music as a hobby.
I would like to write a review about my music experiences.
Even as a little boy I dreamed of playing the guitar and loved listening to music.
When I was 17, I bought an acoustic guitar for just CHF 120.00
Yes, but now I have to learn that too. By chance, a neighbor's boy took guitar lessons and taught me a little. Yes, I learned the strumming technique and chords. Yes, it was a bit difficult in the first year.
Back then I bought a little text book with guitar chords and sang along. I learned mostly German hits.
Later I discovered other music that I played.
Yes, it was rock n roll, rock, blues and music from Pink Floyd, Nazareth, Rolling Stone.
Status Quo......these had become my favorites. In the 70s
It all started in my music cellar in Othmarsingen in Switzerland in 1975. Sometimes it just got loud?! No experience yet?!
Here you can see the Montarbo 2-part tower 2 x 300 watts and a Montarbo amp on top. The white Fender Mustang and a
Farfisa suitcase amplifier with 7 inputs
In the course of my time I also bought an
electric guitar with amplifier
I met musicians who played rock and blues and I learned to play it from these friends.
I had a lot of fun making music with my friends. The first song we practiced together was House Of The Rising Sun. Yes, we had a lot of fun. We also practiced blues and rock later on.
In 1976 there was a musical upheaval. I had to go into the military for 8 months. Some colleagues stopped getting in touch. They were no longer interested either. A lot of things changed for me professionally, for the better of course.
In 1977 I met new musicians through my neighbor's boy.
Soon after that I took my musical instruments to the rehearsal room with my new friends and we practiced once a week. Yes, it was very nice to have a new experience with a drummer and bassist. Sometimes I took my sister Erika with me, she sometimes sang along.
After a year, unfortunately, it was all over. My friends' interests were no longer there and everything ended peacefully. But I also had some very nice experiences as a beginner.
I have had a lot of experience with buying guitars. ! ?
To begin with an acoustic guitar and later an electric guitar, no brand.
Amplifier only 10 watts, no brand. And a Farfisa Combo 40 watts with 7 inputs, that was the hit. Then bought a Montarbo AMP 300 W with two speaker towers and a Fender Mustang in white.
Later a Fender Stratocaster Occassion and a Fender Twin Reverb 150 watt AMP.
Later a Peavy Douce 150 watt AMP.
I practiced a lot with my guitars, listening to music and samples. I met a lot of musicians at concerts in my region.
There were also jam sessions in various pubs and bars. It was a very interesting experience for me.
Later in my region I played guitar in a blues, rock, pop band. The atmosphere in this band was very friendly and collegial.
After many music rehearsals, we took part in individual concerts.
After a year, we had formed a dance band and played at small and large events for young and old.
We have always included new international hits in our program. We have always remained true to blues and rock.u.
From 1978 to 1998 I played guitar and sang in several dance music groups. It was a wonderful, unforgettable time. We performed successfully at many weddings and major events.
The most important thing in a band is friendship and collaboration.
1In 1998 I stopped making music and left the bands with a beautiful, unforgettable memory.
I later sold a guitar and amplifier that weren't in good shape. I exchanged it for an Ibanez acoustic guitar that I still wanted for private use.
I also kept the 1971 Fender Stratocaster. I had it restored and it looked like new.
A look back at our bands 1976 - 1998
A look back with a very positive and friendly experience. Yes, that is very important in a band or club.
Blues and rock, dance music with Andy Beck Combo. Menzikon - CH
Dance and entertainment music with Duo Sunshine.Menzikon - CH
Dance and entertainment music with Duo Happy Boys Dintikion - CH
Dance and entertainment music with Dream Land Orchestra – Zurich – CH
Country music with Nashville Gamblers – Zurich – CH
Nashville Gamblers
Nashville Gamblers 1993 - 1997 was a great time, with a challenging program.
12 years later, the desire to make music again
In 2009 I went to a public jam session in the Dampfschiff Brugg cultural club.
I heard a lot of musicians playing guitar, piano, drums and bass. They mainly played blues and rock.
I really liked how they improvised this kind of music.
I talked to the musicians from time to time. Many of them had already graduated from music school
with a jazz school diploma. Some of them were still music students in music conservatories with classical training.
The jam session ended at 2:00 a.m. I took the train home and thought about taking part in a jam session in this place one day.
I started practicing my acoustic guitar again.
In March 2010 I took part in the first jam session in the Dampfschiff Brugg, my sister came along too and supported me with her blues singing.
It was a great jam session evening with a varied program.
Sometimes it got a bit too loud and the musicians had to adjust to a more comfortable volume.
For my part, I managed to get by and adapt to these thoroughbred musicians.
The evening ended at 12:02 a.m. and we were all happy and had a lot of fun. I myself took part in this jam session in the Brugg steamship every three months.
In 2010 I bought myself an electric guitar again, a second-hand Bach Les Paul. Yes, I also bought a Peavey all-tube guitar amplifier again and practiced again when I had time.
My goal was to take part in jam sessions in other regions and not to play in a band, because I didn't want to spend any more time with a band. I wanted to remain a simple, independent solo musician without performing.
Yes, but there were requests for small gigs, private events and company events. I always agreed and usually brought my colleague with the saxophone.
Experience Audio Recording Studios
Studio recordings
I had my first experience with studio recordings with the duo Happy Boys in a studio in 1985.
With a large mixer, dynamic microphones, tape machines, EQ lizer, amplifiers, analog modules that I hadn't heard of yet.
In the past, we had made test recordings with the bands using a simple Grundig tape recorder, which were fairly easy to listen to. In 1996, we recorded with our country band Nashville Gamblers using the first Sony mini data recorder, with excellent sound quality in the test recordings.
Practice with backing tracks
From 1985 to 2022, times have changed very quickly when it comes to PCs and I have also learned and applied it professionally. From 2011 onwards, I used guitar backing tracks from Wikiloops and YouTube to practice. I mostly played blues and smooth jazz. I played this way at small private gigs. Yes, I did it out of passion and with a lot of joy.
With Wikiloops.com I would have had the opportunity to take part in online jam sessions at that time. I didn't yet have the right PC for a home recording studio. Software like Cubase was already in circulation at that time. My PC wasn't suitable.
My knowledge wasn't yet advanced enough to buy a home recording studio.
Experimental recordings
I later became more interested in studio recordings. How can I record guitar with backing tracks? I bought a Zoom H2n recorder with an 8 GB SDS memory, which was recommended to me by a music store. I studied the instructions and recorded my guitar and backing tracks live. I was able to load the recorder into the PC via a USB cable and listen to my recordings via Roland Cm -30W audio speakers. Yes, I have to say, the recordings were of good quality to my ears. From 2012 to 2016 I worked with the ZoomH2n recorder. My music rehearsals and also live recordings of my fellow musicians from Jam Session. Direct recordings with a small Alesis 8 FX mixer that I bought once, headphones from Sony with a 2 m long cable. At that time the Roland GP 8 effects device with analog sound. Backing tracks saved on my Sony cell phone. I had everything plugged in correctly via the mixer and was able to make direct recordings with the Zoom H2 n recorder.
My Home Recording Studio
My First Online Jam Session 2017
In 2017 I took part in my first online jam session at Wikillops.com.
I downloaded a blues template in A minor and played guitar along with it.
Recorded one track with the Zoom H2 n, using the equipment I once had.
It wasn't easy, I had to start recording again every time I made the smallest mistake. I managed it and uploaded the mixed track again. I received positive comments the same day
from other wikiloops musicians. That was the beginning of the wikillops online jam session.
Yes, at that point I was more interested in home recording software
for my notebook, which I bought in 2012.
A colleague at my workplace advised me, because he also makes studio music at home.
He sold me his Cubase audio interface, which he no longer needed, and a demo of
Cubase 3.0 software. I installed everything myself and learned home recording. There were difficulties when recording and it was very complicated for me to
use this product. I used this software for a year, sometimes good
sometimes less good, so I'm not yet satisfied with your home recording studio.
I learned a lot on the internet, mainly on YouTube.
In 2018, a fellow musician recommended the Presonus Audio Interface (AUDIOBOX USB)
to me. It was easy and straightforward to use this software.
I first watched it on YouTube and learned something.
Yes, I was interested in Presonus and bought the Audiobox for CHF 90.00
with the Studio One 3.0 software, which I installed and learned again.
My mini home recording studio
In between, an experience with the iPad 4 Garageband, Cubasis 2, Neu 3, software and the guitar interface APOGEE - JAM. A fascinating experience that I still use today when I need something that I can't find in Studio One 3.0 - now 5 Professional.
My music productions 2019 - 2023
Everyone starts small - just like me. From a vision, I created something step by step. I am proud of that.
December 2019
In December 2019 I started making studio recordings, mainly in online jam sessions at Wikiloops.com. I also have an account on BandLab with two full productions and wanted to do more there with my own productions. Using the Garage Band software on my iPad 4, I started composing and creating and played and recorded the guitar. The first instrumental song took me about three weeks of work. My studio knowledge has also developed a lot. I only have a small studio, consisting of a notebook with Studio One 5 Professional, audio interface, audio box, 2 headphones, microphones and some cables and 2 Roland Cm-30 monitor boxes. 1 Epiphone EL guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboard, furniture was already there.
The next step was mastering knowledge
that I learned from YouTube and online mastering. Bought and installed some mastering software. Practiced and learned a lot with this software. I trained my ear to get the desired sound with Studio One 5 Professional. Took a year to learn until I was satisfied.
In some cases I tested the online mastering, partly for free. I constantly uploaded my music productions to Soundcloud. Later in BandLab.
I hope you have gained some insight into my musical experiences. I will continue to produce new songs and sounds whenever possible. Live music is also a must.
Karl Heinz - Heimgartner ( Schweizer Tourist )
Qu Cy - PH, 09.März 2022 /Bläuenstrasse /2 / 5018 Erlinsbach /Switzerland / CH
Happy Birthday from Tessie 10.03.2022
II played my guitar and sang on Tessie's birthday and entertained the guests. It was a nice feeling for me to play some live music for guests again after such a long time. It was a nice, positive evening.
Moving Recording Home Studio 2022
Moving recording home studio 2022
My recording studio was in an open space for 2 years and not air-conditioned. I decided to change this space, closed it and air-conditioned it. Everything is wonderful.
Moving recording home studio 2022
My recording studio was in an open space for 2 years and not air-conditioned.
I decided to change this space, closed it and air-conditioned it.
Everything is wonderful.
Moving recording home studio 2022
My recording studio was in an open space for 2 years and not air-conditioned.
I decided to change this space, closed it and air-conditioned it.
Everything is wonderful.
Year 2023
First thing in the new year, I set up the studio again in the previous space in our large corridor. The room is open, the acoustics are still sufficient for making and producing music. There is no reverberation effect thanks to the large amount of wood and the high ceiling. For vocal recordings, I have to lock myself in another room where there is no background noise.
This is my newly furnished home recording studio for music productions. At the end of 2022, I planned to produce blues, jazz, bossa nova music. It didn't happen that way. I deviated from this path and asked my heart. My desire to produce cinematic music.
In January 2023 I produced this cinematic track The Funny Gate to the Forest and released it in all music platforms in " Home. ,,
Improve compositions.
On January 21, 2023, I started an online equalizer course with Thom Wettstein from Hausen near Brugg in Switzerland.
https://www.thomwettstein.com/
1. Lesson music theory
Improve my music productions.
On January 21, 2023, I started an online equalizer course with Thom Wettstein from Hausen near Brugg in Switzerland.
https://www.thomwettstein.com/
1. Lesson Equalizer Course
Improve the mixing and mastering of music productions.
On January 21, 2023, I started an online equalizer course with Thom Wettstein from Hausen near Brugg in Switzerland.
https://www.thomwettstein.com/
1. Lesson compressors course.
This is exactly what I need to improve my music productions.
Because I'm interested in getting more out of my music production in terms of mixing and mastering and also want to find a good sound. I spent many months searching the internet for the information I needed. I found Thom Wettstein by chance. I booked a telephone conversation with Thom. He offered me an equalizer and compressor course, which I then took. Thom Wettstein is a jazz musician, composer, producer, mix and mastering engineer, and lecturer at the music college.
https://www.thomwettstein.com/
The online course with Thom Wettstein began on January 21, 2023. 1. Lesson music theory, which you can use again and again to compose music. It is important to follow the theory so that good compositions can be created.
2 January 1st, 2023 Equalizer course with Thom Wettstein. I know what an equalizer is for music productions. I've found that the correct application is very poor. Since 2017, I've been making smaller productions just for myself. In 2020, I wanted to take it more seriously and released a lot of productions. The big, clean groove was missing. Not always, but yes, it happens. I've learned a lot of uses for equalizers and compressors and got to know other types of plugins. I've also purchased inexpensive plugins to achieve an improved sound.
I have reached my latest level with mixing my productions. What I have learned is learned, but there is still a long and interesting way to go before I can implement it in my productions. I finished the course at the beginning of April and need the course material as a guide from Thom Wettstein.
https://www.thomwettstein.com/
Good solution Volt 276 Audio Interface from Universal
- I watched it again and again on YouTube and followed the tests.
- I bought it and registered it with Universal.
- I am very impressed with the new sound and features.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByP9DVqh-MA&t=1167s
Live Jam Session
Quattro Restaurant Quezon City
10.März 2023
Live Jam Session
Quattro Restaurant Quezon City
10.März 2023
Live Jam Session
Quattro Restaurant Quezon City
10.März 2023
July / 05 / 2025 The Beatles Jam Session
In a region in Quezon City, Avenue Manila, Philippines, in a beautiful park by a small lake and amidst plenty of greenery, The Beatles fans celebrated Ringo Star's 84th birthday with a Beatles jam session featuring musicians over 70 years old and many other fans. In 1966, The Beatles performed in Manila and have won many fans to this day. It was a very exciting event, and it will take place again in October 2025.
I was very happy to participate in a live jam session again after a long time.
2023 Singles Nashville Gamblers 1997
Nashville Gamblers Switzerland 1997
Single: Track 01. Andoogie / Composer : André Schmohl : 1993
Contributors:
André Schmohl: Leadguitar , Karl Heinz - Heimgartner: Rhytmguitar,
Annamarie Baumann: Rhytmguitar, UeliBichsel: Bass ,
Sandro Luginbühl: Drum
Single: Track 02. Country Picker / Composer: André Schmohl: 1993
Contributors:
André Schmohl: Leadguitar , Karl Heinz - Heimgartner: Rhytmguitar,
Claudia Gehrig: Rhytmguitar, Sepp Santelli: Bass, André Wernli: Drum
Nashville Gamblers
In cooperation: André Schmohl and Karl Heinz - Heimgartner 2023
MTM Mastering True Music Production / Spain
Link TouTube : https://youtu.be/8MvxQYHgAb4
Interim work mid-2023
The BEST OF THE BEST - CD 2021 remastered by Nashville Gamblers Switzerland. With my new plugins from WAVES and Universal, a new sound was created. At André Schmohl's request, I created six videos together, with photos that we still had from 1993 to 1997.
We have uploaded the videos we created to YouTube for our fans. I hope you like these videos that we created together. Many thanks to André and the Nasville Gamblers Switzerland
- Link YouTube: https://youtu.be/8MvxQYHgAb4
Audio Tracks for The Spotlights
In mid-July - early August 2023, at André Schmohl's request, I also edited the digitized tape recordings of this band. I edited 28 tracks using my latest knowledge and plugins and mastered them. Again, the result of the songs was satisfactory. André Schmohl listened to the songs and thanked me for my work.
Welcome to 2026
**Welcome to 2026**
by Karl Heimgartner Composer/Producer and Artist: Carlito Home
and Karl Heinz - Heimgartner
Dear readers and fans,
In 2026, I will be producing new songs in the chill, lo-fi, and jazz genres. One song is already written and just needs to be musically realized. I will handle the initial mix and mastering myself.
Since I completed a course on equalizers and compressors in 2023 and have been working with new plugins ever since, I am confident that a good mix will emerge. However, as usual, the final touches will be handled by MTM Mastering – True Music Production in Spain.
Professional external mastering is particularly important to me because I focus so intensely on my work during production that my hearing becomes accustomed to certain frequencies. I then no longer perceive the lows, mids, and highs with 100% neutrality. Therefore, I prefer to entrust the finished productions to an experienced recording studio for mixing and mastering.
January 2026 -A new start with my new nylon guitar (Takamine) that I just bought
Listen to my new releases on Soundcloud / Spotify
https://on.soundcloud.com/c3JtBL7PzBcG5c3svY
https://on.soundcloud.com/u3DirUb0oKD2q57idX
All beginnings are difficult! The path to this point was not always easy.
Promoting music is very important
Real curators
Groover.com for Radio Playlist Global
https://groover.co/band/referral/2-KARL-7C3D2/
https://www.audiartist.com/carlito-home-shares-sad-lake-a-soulful-guitar-journey
Just visit this website and enjoy. Also visit BaboORecording and follow him on.
Real mixing and mastering service I have used.
JLeading real mixing and mastering for me: MTM Mastering True Music Production since 2023
Jillo Mix and Mastering engineer https://soundbetter.com/profiles/291167-jillo
BeatsEdit.com Mix and Mastering Engineer
Contact